Adjustable valve-controlling means



March 20, 1928.

R. VQN FELDEN ADJUSTABLE VALVE CONTROLLING MEANS I Filed'March 21, 1927 gwuzntoz F0 Y' w/V/FA 05M Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

UNITED STES tees,

reins.

ROY VON FELDE or DULUTH, MINNESOTA, essrenon. on ONE-HALF T srnnnrne CARLSOIN, or DULUTH; urimnso'ra.

ADJUSTABLE VALVE-CONTROLLING MEANS.

Application filed-March 21,1927. SerialNo. 177,171.

This invention relates to valves and has special reference to a control mechanism for the manually manipulated valves, commonly found upon oxy-acetylene torches.

The principal object of the invetnion'is to provide simple means whereby the throwof such a valve may be predetermined, and mechanism set and if desired sealed in such a manner as to prevent an operator from opening the valve beyond. a certain degree.

Another object is to provide such means as conveniently located as possible and carried wholly by the valve control mechanism.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this application and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the handle portion of a common oxy-acetylene torch;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the thumb plunger;

Figure 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of same;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a modified form of pressure control means.

1 represents the cylindrical casing of the handle portion of a common torch which has two supply pipes for the elements used in r the torch and conveyed therein in three parallel pipes, the ones indicated at 2 and 3 representing those for conducting the oxygen, and the one indicated at 4 for conductmg the acetylene gas.

When the torch is in use the valves controlling the supply of elements thereto not shown are opened and the acetylene gas and oxygen traverse the torch through the par allel pipes 4 and 2 to the nozzle thereof where ignition may be accomplished at any time; the supply of oxygen and acetylene gas being uniform and that of the oxygen being materially reduced in the torch as at 5 where the branch pipe 6 is attached and controlled by the valve stem 7, so that at the will of the operator the volume of oxygen may be increased or decreased by the manipulation of said valve stem.

This control of the oxygen supply is accomplished by the double trigger indicated at 8, the twin members of which are pivoted as at 9 upon the extension 10 of the body portion of the torch and extend through the slots 11, longitudinally of the barrel 1 of the handle where they carry upon their protrudin suitable slots upon the innermost sides of the trigger 8 thereby preventing its being, dislodged therefrom vertically, as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

The construction thus far described is 7 common in the art, and it being optional with the operator whether the thumb plunger is locked or not in its depressed position, and which position fully opens the valve controlled by the stem 7 resulting in practice that the operator frequently' so locks the valve in open position that material waste of the oxygen occurs. Especially is this true when, for example, cutting material requiring less oxygen than the full capacity of the control valve permits.

Now the improvement in my present invention resides particularlyin forming an extension on the deck of the thumb plunger and to one side of the thumb tread and through this extension is provided an internally screw threaded hole in which is mounted the thumb screw 16, having a flattened head 17, through which I prefer to have formed two holes 18,- and also two holes 19 through the extreme end of the extension 15, so that the thumb screw 16 may be adjusted vertically to protrude any distance desired toward the casing 1 and there locked as by the wire roven through the holes 18 and 19 and sealed as indicated at 21, so that the vertical throw of the thumb plunger of the valve may be predetermined and set for the subsequent use of an operator and by which it becomes impossible for the latter to open the valve which controls the oxygen supply to a greater distance than such predetermined throw.

Such fixed control of the valve is particularly desirable for example inrailroad shops where an operator is obliged to cut for days at a time a given thickness of plate requiring less than the full valve capacity of the torch, and results in a material saving of the oxygen. i

In Figure 5 the modified form shown comprises the adjustable screw or bolt 22, simis lar to the screw 16, except that his provided with a head 23 upon the lower end thereof, and held permanently at any desired elevation by thewnnt 24; on top of the extension 15 of the plunger 12. Intermediate of the head 23 and the lower side of the extension 15 may be installed a plurality of rings indicated at 25 and they may be of such thickness as to represent given measurements of pressure of the oxygen at the nozzle, for instance, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or flit-y pounds, so that when removed or applied the exact pressure at the nozzle may be determined. The belt 22, in such adjusted position, may be then locked by the nut 24' having suitable perforated lugs 26 thereupon for threading a sealing wire there- ,through' and the hole 27 in the extension,

While I have shown this form of valve control applied to acetylene torches, it is evident that the same may be made to serve equally well in other forms of valve instal- 'lation, and may be additionally modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my inventiomwhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The conrbinat ion with a valve control I trigger of the class described carrying a slida'ble plunger, of an adjustable bolt carried by said plunger for gauging the throwbolt to said extension in any desired a 'just- 40 ed ositiofi. I

I n testimonywhereof I aflix myslgnature.

ROY von FE LD EN. 

